New Construction Showing Mold...

thepawnshop

I have a new construction that I used a smaller than normal crew to frame which meant longer than normal time for the structure to be in the elements before being dried in.

I am seeing yellow and purple mold throughout the house just about everywhere, but it is more prominent in the floor joists and rafters. The trades are all about done and I want to address the mold before I insulate (I am using Icynene spray foam insulation).

What would you all suggest I do to kill the mold before proceeding? IS there an alternative that I could apply myself, or is this a job best left to a professional mold removal company.

This is a $700,000 five thousand square foot home, if that matters, though I would want to be as aggressive in treating the mold even if it was on of my 150k smaller homes.

I have never had a problem with mold during construction before, so I am hoping someone here has some advice and experience that they can share!

Thanks!

__________________
Doug Brandt
Class "A" Contractor
Brandt Custom Homes
Roanoke, VA

Joe Carola

How long did it take to frame?

__________________
Joe Carola

Tscarborough

More importantly, how much rain did you get in that period.

mdshunk

Chlorine bleach in a garden sprayer and a long handled scrub brush.

BreyerConstruct

Bleach will kill living things.
So will removing the living space (remove it's home)
remove it's water (put a roof on it, etc.)
Remove it's air (Cover it w/ paint).

Better yet, treat everything with a paint that has a mildicide. Get a sprayer & cover everything you can. THis shows you took proactive steps to adress it, if it were to ever be called into question later.


Now, that being said, I'm no mold remediation expert... just heard a few things.

~Matt

__________________
Custom Deck Builder Deck Designer Lancaster Deck Builder Berks Deck Cleaning
Breyer Construction & Landscape, LLC Facebook Page
www.BreyerConstruction.com

thepawnshop

It has taken four months to get under roof. I was using the same two man framing crew that I use for my smaller spec houses. They wanted the project, but I think it was more than two guys could do in a timely fashion. In their defense, their work is superb.

As far as weather, we had a good bit of moisture. My hope is that now that the house is almost completely dried in, I could run a couple of dehumidifiers to make it harder for it to grow anymore.

__________________
Doug Brandt
Class "A" Contractor
Brandt Custom Homes
Roanoke, VA

Mike Finley

Man oh man, whatever you do, I hope you get it handled so it doesn't end up coming back on you, I'd be a bit nervous about it.

thepawnshop

Thanks, Mike...I think I'll call licensed mold removal companies.

__________________
Doug Brandt
Class "A" Contractor
Brandt Custom Homes
Roanoke, VA

Cole

PM Sent.

__________________
Tulsa's Leader in Outdoor Living Construction | Facebook | Tulsa Pergola Builder | Tulsa Outdoor Kitchens

AndyJones

Check out this product, www.bluwood.com. This is factory applied to the lumber before it gets the jobsite and protects the framing lumber, the floor joists, the panels, the EWP's, everything that is needed to frame up a house from mold, mildew, AND termites. Best thing about this product is you can leave it uncoved on the job-site in the rain for 6 months and the warranty is still viable. I would rather pay the extra 10-20% this costs than face a $20 million lawsuit. But thats just me.

Frankawitz

Doug
I had a big plaster job a few years back, ServPro came in and put in 35 fans and 20 dehumidifiers in this house, they told the Homeowner all was dry and the Plasterer could plaster. I went in to remove the water damage plaster and I found mold all over the framing, I told Allstate adjustor and he had ServPro come back in and they ripped out all of the wood lath and plaster, after that they had a specialist come in and at $750.00 an hour he wanted to foamacide the wood, he said it would take 2 months so you figure it out at $750.00 an hour for 2 months.$240,000.00 I have always killed mold with Bleach it's dead on contact. after we spray shellac to seal the wood. Just watch yourself with these Mold companies. Right now Black Mold is a very Large Cash Cow. Big money in Mold removel. Good luck.

theworx

First step, hire a pro to do an analysis of the situation and make a report of required treatment. That will cost a lot right there. Second step, hopefully you are able to take care of the treatment of the mold youself. If not you might have to hire a certified contractor to do mold abatement (that is required where I live).

We had three jobs in the last 2 years where mold was an issue and shut us down for many days for the certified contractors to do mold abatement. They left us a total mess to fix up and charged stupid amounts of money. But like Mike's post shows, you have to cover your butt by doing everything you can to properly remedy your problem... Good luck, and hope it all works out!!!

dirt diggler

that's actually typical: the mold guys are not carpenters --- that's why your damaged areas were not replaced.

stupid amounts of money? it's a specialty trade. which means higher mark ups than more common trades. typical.


jest lernin you somethin is all


*****

pawnshop -

you need to find out what the CAUSE of the mold was/is in the first place.

like i said above, do not expect the mold company to replace anything they tear out (and they will have to tear out something most likely) ... and do expect a rather "stupid" amount of money, because it is a specialty.

And I don't think standard HO insurance covers mold ....

sorry to hear this --- especially on such a large area/scale.

Joshua

"Mold requires three things to grow: organic matter (such as wood), mold spores and water. Mold is everywhere, it always has been . . . . In a new building, mold will start to show up within months."

Dr. Mani Skaria, Ph.D
Professor
Texas A&M University Kingsville Citrus Center


Obviously this has been a big concern of the building component industry for the past several years. What we've found and many studies have confirmed is poor ventilation and damp conditions are the major contributor.

http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/publicat...nstruction.htm